Looking for inexpensive health insurance with a top-rated company? Here's where to get the best affordable health insurance plans with A-rated companies.
Health Insurance Plans
There are a number of different plans available. The most popular ones include:
* Fee-for-service plans. These plans are the traditional plans whereby you pay a monthly premium for health care coverage that includes visits to your doctor, hospital expenses, and prescription drug costs. With these plans you pay deductible (usually $500 to $2,000), then your insurer pays a percentage of your bill (usually 80%).
* Managed health care plans. These plans - HMos, POSs, and PPOs - assign you to a group of doctors, specialists, and hospitals that you use for your health care needs. Your coverage includes doctor visits, hospital fees, and prescription drug costs. Some plans even provide preventive care such as smoking clinics and health club discounts. With HMOs and POSs you pay a monthly premium for services, and a co-payment (usually $5 to $10) per doctor visit. With PPOs you pay as services are rendered.
These plans are much cheaper than fee-for-service plans.
* Major medical plans. These plans cover major illnesses such a cancer and heart disease. They pay your medical expenses after you pay a deductible and a coinsurance payment. Standard plans pay for your hospital expenses, plus X-ray and lab tests, and you pay for doctor visits and prescription drugs.
These plans are cheaper than fee-for-service or managed health care plans.
*Specialized plans. These plans provide health care coverage for particular illnesses or situations. Two examples of these plans are hospital confinement plans that pay a certain amount for each day you're in the hospital, and specified disease insurance that pays your medical costs for a single disease such as AIDS, cancer, or heart disease.
Fees for these plans vary.
Best Companies
There are two websites where you can check out an insurance company:
* A.M. Best (ambest.com) provides an overview of a company's financial stability and its ability to pay claims. Their ratings go from A++ (best) to D (worst). You should choose a company that has an A rating or higher.
* J.D. Power & Associates (jdpower.com) provides consumer ratings for companies based on the opinions of consumers who have policies with those companies. Ratings go from five circles (best), to two circles. You should go with a company that has a rating of three circles or higher.
Most Affordable Plans
The only way to get the most affordable health insurance plan is to compare rates, and the easiest and quickest way to do that is to go to an insurance comparison website.
Visit http://www.LowerRateQuotes.com/health-insurance.html or click on the following link to get the best affordable health insurance quotes from top-rated companies and see how much you can save. You can get more tips in their Articles section, and get answers to your questions from an insurance expert by using their online chat service.
The author, Brian Stevens, is a former insurance agent and financial consultant who has written a number of articles on how to find the best affordable health insurance plans.
